Hobbit Days

Goodness the weather has turned cold and damp.

The wind has howled, and temperatures dropping to a wintry mix later tomorrow.
The town is full of sickness, colds, flu and lots of pneumonia, I've been trying to stay home as much as possible, since I tend to be one of those 'susceptible to bronchitis' types.

I made a hearty homemade beef stew today, chocked full of vegetables, with an aromatic tomato base, and spices.
It's a Southern recipe, easy, and delicious.

 

 

Always best accompanied by a skillet of buttermilk cornbread. Or a hearty loaf of crusty bread.



Nothing fancy, just basic Beef and Vegetable Stew.
One and a half pound of stew beef, or hamburger meat
A large onion chopped
Two ribs of sliced celery
Cut up potatoes
Sliced carrots
A large can of whole peeled tomatoes chopped up in bite sized pieces
Can of chili beans with the sauce
Can of sliced green beans
Can of peas
Can of corn if I have it.

Beef or vegetable stock
Chili powder
Bay leaves (2)
Garlic powder
Parsley fresh
Salt and Pepper to taste
Most anything you like to throw in the pot....sometimes I add cabbage.

Southern Cornbread
1 1/4 cups of buttermilk or milk
1/4 cup of vegetable oil or solid shortening (melt if solid shortening)
2 cups of buttermilk cornmeal mix
1 ounce of melted butter
1 beaten egg
Oven temp 425 degrees

Place a cast iron skillet, or cake pan with a small amount of shortening inside the oven until the shortening melts and pan is hot.
Add mixture, bake for 15 / 20 minutes until golden brown

 

 

National Cat Day

Today is National Cat Day.
Most of my readers are aware we have two cats that are a huge part of our family here in Tennessee.
Both cats chose our humble little abode, to call their own, and watching their antics, and sharing our days with these two sweeties, brings many smiles to our faces.
Oliver is the marmalade and white boy, and is approximately nine years old, and then along came Tom-Tilly, a tiny little girl who literally lived beneath my potting shed, and is now four years old.
We originally thought she was a 'he' and we named him Tom-Kitten, you can read about her story here: http://abritintn.blogspot.com/2014/07/tom-kitten.html
We love them both dearly.

Tea And Scones

Some days it's good to do nothing. No deadlines to meet, no chores to complete, no lists to check twice.
A day for sipping cups of tea and curling up by the fireside with a portly feline or two at your side.
A gentle rain is falling as I type, a dark and cozy Autumn day, to be savored.
A simple day.

                                                        

 

 

 

" The best kind of rain, of course, is a cozy rain.

This is the kind the anonymous medieval poet makes me remember, the rain that falls on a day when you'd just as soon stay in bed a little longer, write letters or read a good book by the fire, take early tea with hot scones and jam and look out the streaked window with complacency. "

~Susan Allen Toth, England For All Seasons

Special Delivery

 

My sweet boy Oliver loves a cardboard box better than food, well almost...…..

                                                           😺

And The Rains Came

A cozy steady rain has fallen all day, reminding me of home in England.
There were several Fall festivals planned this weekend, but sadly were canceled due to the downpours.
I sat on the porch as the rain clattered on the tin roof, and reminded my husband, that no amount of rain would ever cause a cancelation of anything in England, it was just something we co-existed with,  umbrellas and rain shoes were always part of our daily lives.
No inconvenience,  just sharing this incredible planet, we all call "home"....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How beautiful is the rain!

After the dust and heat,

In the broad and fiery street,

In the narrow lane,

How beautiful is the rain!

How it clatters along the roofs,

Like the tramp of hoofs

How it gushes and struggles out

From the throat of the overflowing spout!

Across the window-pane

It pours and pours;

And swift and wide,

With a muddy tide,

Like a river down the gutter roars

The rain, the welcome rain!

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Hurricane Sunset

It is hard to imagine, after a day filled with mayhem and devastation to our neighbors in the Carolinas , that Mother Nature would offer us,  in the adjoining state,  such a spectacular and peaceful sunset.

My thoughts and prayers are with those effected by Florence's fury.

The Calm Before The Storm

Our days have turned sun-less.
Dark clouds linger overhead, and there is an aura of stillness in the air making for dreary days.
If I didn't know the difference I would think we were in the depths of Autumn.
I've resisted the urge to make a comforting pot of chili and cornbread, however the candle-lighting has already begun.

 

 

 

Oliver Love

 

What greater gift than the love of a cat?

~Charles Dickens
 

Mary Mary Quite Contrary

Our precious little great-granddaughter will be here in just five short weeks, we are beyond excited.

I have always loved traditional nursery rhymes, and remember learning them in nursery school at the tender age of four..

I believe they have led to my lifelong love and appreciation of poetry and prose.

I'm hoping little Ensley Kate, will share that same fondness.

 

Holding On

Despite a lovely wet spring, our summer months have been dry.
Rainfall has been scarce and the trees are showing early signs of Autumn.
Tennessee has some of the most spectacular Autumn palettes, I can't help but imagine this year the leaves will have already fallen off the branches, once the cooler weather arrives.
*Sigh*